Butte County is a place of natural beauty with countless opportunities for recreation in both rural and urban environments. Many Butte County residents live in one of the five incorporated towns or cities: Biggs, Chico, Gridley, Oroville or Paradise. Butte County government provides services to residents through 23 diverse departments. Services include elections, road maintenance, public safety, solid waste disposal, and health and human services to name a few.

News and Announcements

County Closes Roads, Prepares for Rain and Snow

Residents are encouraged to prepare property for rain and snow forecast to arrive over the next few days.

The National Weather Service is projecting rain, and a little snow for the highest elevations, in Butte County, beginning as early as Thursday, November 2, through Saturday, November 4th. Another storm is possible early next week.

The County is preparing for Potentially Heavy Rain

Butte County Public Works is preparing County owned public roads and drainage facilities for the potential of heavy rain. The County inspects facilities for weaknesses to heavy rain runoff and cleans our ditches and storm drain facilities to reduce flooding during heavy rain events.
Preparing County facilities is important, but it only covers County owned public facilities and the
County maintained right-of-way. Many, if not most, of the creeks and rivers that collect the
runoff from our roads are not maintained by the County; private property owners are responsible for preparing these areas for heavy rain events to reduce flooding impacts.

Who Should Prepare

Residents and property owners whose property has flooded in prior years due to heavy rain events should prepare for these upcoming events. Residents or property owners who feel they may have issues due to heavy rain events should prepare.

Wildfire Burn Scar Areas

Property owners in the recent wildland fire burn areas, or owners downstream of those burned areas should be away of the possibility of debris flow and clogged culverts and waterways. Residents should monitor their surroundings, and be prepared to leave the area if necessary.

Sand and sandbags have pre-staged near the various burn areas, to make it simpler for residents to protect their property. Check the Public Works Website at www.buttecounty.net/publicworks to see the latest information and updates.

Road Closures

Honey Run Road

As safety measure, Honey Run Road, from 2.2 miles above the Covered Bridge to Honey View Terrace in the Town of Paradise will be closed, due to the potential for downed trees, debris flow and rock fall onto the roadway, as a result of the Honey Fire burn scar.

Powellton Road

To preserve the integrity of this roadway, the roadway will remain under winter closure, from 2.7 miles above the lower Powellton/Skyway intersection, to the upper Powellton/Skyway Intersection. Crews have spent hundreds of hours installing water quality improvements to this critical roadway, and unauthorized 4x4 traffic on this fresh grading work would be detrimental to roadway and water quality in the Butte Creek Basin.

Concow Road

To preserve the integrity of this roadway, the roadway will remain under winter closure, from Ragdump, north to the end of county maintained mileage. This roadway was badly damaged in the winter of 2017, and while crews were able to reopen to emergency traffic, much additional work needs to be done to stabilize the roadway surface to prevent further damage and environmental degradation.
and clogged culverts and waterways. Residents should monitor their surroundings, and be prepared to leave the area if necessary.

Be Prepared

Flooded roadways may occur with heavy rain. Residents are encouraged to stay off the roadways once the storms begins. If you must go out during the storm, follow the tips below and check the Butte County Road Closure webpage or the Caltrans Road Information for road conditions.

Residents who have to drive should never attempt to cross high water in their vehicle. If drivers encounter flooded roadways: turn around, don’t drown!

Stay away from downed power lines, and report all downed lines to 911.

Carry food, water, and blankets in your car.

Always carry a working flashlight.

Stay Informed

Emergency personnel continue to monitor the status of the storm and conditions in our area. Residents should stay informed as the storm progresses.

Residents with scanners or weather radios can listen to updates on NOAA radio, WWF67 at 162.40 MHZ. This station cannot be picked up on regular AM/FM radios but receivers can be purchased at area electronics stores for between $20 and $200. Residents can also stay tuned to local media for updates and weather warnings.